39 Clues: New Ally
by ChaosGamer
Summary: Cahill siblings understand the true business of hunting for 39 clues after attaining a clue. They understand that their effort alone will not be enough. when Dan meets a school friend in Austria, they ask him for help. OC.


It was, for a lack of better word, insanity.

He was running around inside a large bank, assumed by everyone else outside to be a waffle shop; he waved his arms frantically around, trying to convince the bankers about a subway train that was about to break down.

Why everyone else believed the building to be a waffle shop, he did not know. It did not look like a waffle shop at all. It was not even logical to have a shop dedicated only towards selling batter based cake cooked in a waffle iron. Why was he telling useless information to busy bankers and wasting productivity and time he did not know.

Leaving the stoic faced workers as the lost cause; he sat down weary on the chair. If he could get rid of that annoying sound inside his head...

He opened his eyes to face the white ceiling. His smartphone was the one making the annoying sound, it seemed. It had been a dream. That would explain the implausible and impossible scenarios his brain held steadfastly on. Like how bank seemed like waffle house to average citizen. Or how he was ranting about subway train in a bank.

Doggone it; it was one of these days where he had crazy dreams.

Reaching out to his phone, he pressed the snooze button. Just than the clock on his desk decided to ring also.

He was faced with a problem. His bed was on one side of the room and his desk was on the other side of the room. Groggily picking up a silver M9 Berretta from the bedpost, he opened one eye, taking a aim at the ringing clock, he fired.

A bullet flew from the gun, narrowly hitting the clock, causing it to fall backwards. Had it hit the center, it would have shattered.

The gun fell to the floor as Jack closed his eyes again, falling asleep.

Then the clock hidden inside the bookshelf began to ring.

* * *

11:30 AM. Jack Kim was officially up for the morning. Was it his fault if he could not stop redditing until 6 AM?

He half-blindly stumbled around in his personal yacht, gathering food for breakfast. Setting down a cup of milk on the counter, he placed two slices of bread into the toaster. Pushing down on the button, he sat on the chair.

He stared out over the canals of Venice to the ancient buildings. Too bad he was horrid at languages. On his freshman year at age 15 (now sophomore year) all of his subjects, A's varying at minus and plus, only one subject he was not honors on and had an ugly C+.

World Languages. More specifically - French.

Jack shook his head. It had been a nightmare, speaking English to Italians. Ugh. He was terrible at Languages; three years of living on America plus ESL and he barely was able to form a coherent sentence. Four more years it took for him to be able to use the "big words".

He stared outside, gazing at old and artfully designed buildings.

He fell out of his chair when the bread popped out from the toaster.

* * *

Walking out for an afternoon walk inside his black trench coat, Jack breathed in a fresh air. Footsteps clapped throughout the street. Glancing around, he drank in the scenery. This vacation was not that bad, he reflected.

"Someone stop that woman!"

Jack languidly turned to see a man in a uniform, ragged and hacking while chasing a pretty teenager clutching a large stack of CDs; every so often she seemed to drop one.

Turning around, he rubbed his forehead. He needed more sleep.

* * *

Sitting on the deck of his yacht, a table was laid out, with delicious pecking duck presented inside a Chinese food box. Upon devouring the food he curiously opened a pack of fortune cookies on the side.

Every single one of them contained a piece of paper with the same ominous message:

**"You will be DESTROYED!"**

With a small caricature of Uncle Sam in Terminator outfit, pointing toward him.

Jack scratched his head. Some prank those guys were pulling. Hilarious.

* * *

Strolling down next to the canal, he spotted two people, struggling in the water.

Hmm. either they fell from their yacht - there were no yachts in vicinity - or they decided to dip.

His inner Samaritan unleashed, he ran over to the bank, he quickly offered a hand in pulling those two up the shore. One was a cute teenager girl, and the other guy was - Dan!?

"Dan?"

"Jack?"

"Whoa, what are you doing here man?"

"I can ask the same thing! Hey Amy, this is one of my friends at Adams Middle School! Jack Kim!"

"Hey." Greeted Jack, a bit perplexed.

"Hey." Amy replied. "I'm Amy Cahill."

"Mmm. So why are you dipping in the canals. It's not exactly warm in there."

"Well we were... uhh..." Dan's word trailed off as he stared at his sister, Amy staring back.

Now Jack was truly nonplussed. Their facial expressions changed in response to the other. After some moments Dan turned back to Jack.

"Pranked." Dan finished lamely.

"You guys were pranked." Jack repeated, raising eyebrows. Shrugging, he rose up. "So you guys here for summer vacation?"

"Yep." Amy replied. "We should really go back to our au pair though. Let's go, Dan."

"Wait, hold on sis. We totally gotta catch up after over a year of no contact."

"Dan..." Amy shot him a look.

"Come on Amy. It will be fine. I'll introduce you to our au pair!"

"Sure. Why not." He had no plans for today anyhow.

Amy nervously chewed her lip as they walked up the street.

"But wait, where is Nellie?" Dan looked around. "She could be anywhere..."

"She won't leave the music shop. She is too loyal." Amy replied. "I hope a taxi driver knows about Disco Volante."

Jack became somewhat excited by the turn of events. Perhaps this was a way to spend his time here, talking to friends of old.

Dropped off at the Disco, they began to walk around the store, hoping to catch the sight of their au pair.

"She can't possibly have left." Amy's voice was full of nervousness. "I'm sure she is around here somewhere."

Abruptly a figure in the dark rushed up toward them. Jack formed automatic martial art stance, ready to knock any attacker out.

"You guys - thank God! I was just about to - yuck, why are you all wet?"

It was the same teenager that he saw earlier today. The girl hugged them both and quickly jumped away as she noticed the wetness.

"It's a really long story," Amy said wearily. "We've got to get into dry clothes, and then we need to pick something up."

"Hey Nellie, this is Jack, our friend." Said Dan. "We'll explain the situation on the way," Dan promised.

"No we won't." Amy cut him short. "Not with him here." She pointed toward Jack.

Alright, why was everyone treating him like some sort of criminal? He never even saw her before. And what was all this big fuss over an object?

"He is my friend." Dan snapped, glowering. "If we can trust anybody its him."

"He might also be a spy." Amy crossed her arms. "Haven't been backstabbed enough?"

Spy? Backstabbed?

"I trust him. And that should be enough for you." Dan replied.

"No-"

"Oi, for the sake up record." Jack raised his hands. "I have absolutely no idea what you guys are talking about."

"Even so. We can trust no one." Amy had the tone of finality in her voice.

WTF? Was this some sort of life and death type of situation? The conditions are pretty harsh for some scavenger hunt.

"I'm sorry Jack." Dan turned, sarcasm dripping from his words. "My sister does not trust you."

"Hey, I'm cool with this. I can just stay here. No problemo. I'll keep your cat company." Jack settled down on the bench.

"We're going to take out cat with us-"

"Amy, he is capable of taking care of Saladin." Dan placed the cat inside Jack's arms, and the cat immediately crawled deeply inside, purring deeply.

"See? Animals can sense trustworthy people."

Exchanging glances, the trio changed their cloths and went back into he opposite direction, probably to re-obtain some item they forgot or something.

Why so serious? Jack was in deep thought, absentmindedly stroking Saladin's fur. Surely they would not argue like that over some petty contest. Was it something deeper? Was it - Was it... 39 Clues?

Jack had known about his heritage before he began to walk. Information as drilled into his head as he grew up. Part of the reason why he defended Dan from bullying and became his friend was the fact that he had that last name- Cahill. Later did he learn that Dan was the grandson of Grace Cahill, lady neck-deep in 39 Clues business.

Yes, it did seem likely that they were on the hunt.

Well, Jack thought as he cradled the cat. He had no such intention. His idea of a good day was being cooped up inside the house, spending time on his computer. He hated the idea of traveling outside. He was a type of person who can spend months inside his home, never stepping a foot outside and not go crazy.

* * *

"So..." Jack asked as they walked back to the Disco Shop. "Found what you were looking for?"

"Yep." Dan held up a piece of paper or two inside vinyl pad. Amy snatched the paper away.

"We should really get back to the hotel." Amy walked quickly.

"Whoa, wait." Jack stopped them. "You can stay in my yacht tonight."

"You have a personal yacht? Sweet-"

"Dan, no!" Amy looked severe. "Remember You-Know-What!"

"Amy, for millionth time, he is my friend! I trust him." Dan turned toward Jack. "Lead the way."

Nellie shrugged. "I don't mind spending the night on somewhere more fancy."

Out-ruled, Amy followed behind the group, crossing her arms.

* * *

Dan was pretty psyched to sleep inside a yacht. Although relatively small, it was enough to house couple more teenagers.

Jack rested his hand on the side of the chair, patiently waiting for the trio to finish discussing their paper - whatever it was - in private.

_Boom._

Jack stood up, gazing into the entrance of the yacht. The wooden door shook ominously against the steel frame.

_Boom._

Rushing into the room containing the Cahills, he found the trio looking into the direction of the noise.

"Did you guys invite someone?" Jack asked desperately.

"No..." Amy looked frightened. "Is it an agent?" She looked at Dan nervously.

"Agent?" Jack whispered, aghast, as the door shook once more.

"I think they are after us." Dan looked directly at Jack.

Jogging toward a corner of the room, he opened a door disguised as a bookshelf. "Get in. Now."

"In there?"

"We do not have time." Jack motioned toward the door. "I can take care of them. But not if you guys are in the way."

The trio scrambled inside. Snapping it shut, jack walked into the hallway as the door was forced open.

There stood a man in the black suit wearing sunglasses. It distinctly reminded him of Matrix.

The agent took out a gun, approaching Jack with gun pointed toward him.

"Where are they?"

The voice was smooth and unctuous.

His face impassive, Jack swallowed a wave of fear.

"Who?"

The man cocked the gun. "I am in no mood for games. If in next 5 seconds you do not tell me where they are, I will shoot."

"That's a shame." Jack replied, keeping his voice level. "But before I tell you, I must apologize."

"Apologize for what?"

"This."

Jack did a sudden back flip, knocking the gun out of the agent's hands. As the man quickly threw a punch, Jack parried, throwing a punch into his gut. The agent tried to perform a right hook, but Jack expertly grabbed his arms and twisted. The agent cried out in pain and shock as he cradled his own arm.

One thing Jack knew - arms were not supposed to bend that way. Jack threw another punch to the agent's temple in the moment of distraction. The man's head flailed wildly left and right as spit dribbled from his mouth.

Thrusting his full body weight toward the agent, Jack executed the Wing Chun chain punch - each punch shook the agent's body, before finally succumbing on the ground.

* * *

They all sat on the table. Amy's face was white, while Nellie drummed restlessly while Jack recounted the fight.

"Cooool." Dan looked excited. "Can you teach me martial arts?"

"Dan, this is serious! Someone was willing to send armed men toward us!"

"Yeah yeah. Who cares; once I learn kung fu, I'll be kicking their butts!"

"Dan-"

"Guys, I can tolerate couple of my friends spending the night inside my yacht. But I cannot handle having Matrix Agents bursting inside here. Tell me what's really going on." Jack crossed his arms.

The siblings had what seemed to be a telepathy battle before Dan spoke up.

"It all started couple of days ago..."

* * *

"...And we retrieved the Nannerl pages from the Royal Saladin."

"So what you are telling me is that you managed to get into Lucian and Janus headquarters and somehow managed to get away."

"Uhh, yeah."

"You know Dan and Amy, I am impressed. Grace would be proud."

The mention of their grandmother startled both.

"You knew our grandmother?" Amy asked.

"Who didn't know her? She was neck-deep in 39 clues business, she was. Came close to collecting them all."

"But..." Both children seemed amazed by the news. "The contest only started few days ago."

"The _Official_ contest started several days ago. Actually competition started 5 centuries ago, when 4 siblings split up."

"Split up?"

"That much I know. I do not know their fate. I already know of this 39 clues hunting."

"You do?" Dan was boggled.

"I am a Cahill."

"But, you weren't there when Grace invited all the Cahills into the mansion every year. You weren't at her funeral."

"Of course I don't go to those gatherings. Didn't stop Grace from inviting me. I am ostracized, Dan."

"Ostracized... But why?" Asked Amy.

Jack turned, staring aimlessly into the wall. "I have a mixed blood. I don't entirely belong to one family. My grandparents married each other despite the protest of their own family. My mother was half Lucian, half Ekatherina. My father was half Janus, half Thomas."

"But... Why would they ostracize you for that?"

Jack gave a hollowed laugh. "Why? Don't you know why Amy? What was the reason why you didn't trust me for several hours? A stranger no less. If you can't trust a random stranger, how will you trust someone with a mixed blood? Our family is full of backstabbers. No family trusts me. They suspect me of being a spy, of placing my loyalty somewhere else. I never did, and never plan to take part in this wild scavenger hunt."

Amy, Dan, and Nellie fell silent, digesting Jack's words. After some moment Dan asked another question.

"Why aren't you hunting for clues?"

Jack sat back, contemplating for several moments before responding.

"What do you think the final prize would be? Probably having to do with money, fame, and glory I suppose. We humans have tendency to choose things that do not matter in this life. My wish is that everybody can get rich and famous and will have everything they ever dream of, so that they know that it is not the answer. You know Solomon, right? The famous king of Israel. He was richer than any king there ever was or there ever will be. He was so famous that people halfway around the world came to visit him. He had vast power, commanding a large portion of land. You know what he said about all those things? Meaningless. He called them meaningless. Whoever loves money never has enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with their income. This too is meaningless. As goods increase, so do those who consume them. And what benefit are they to the owners except to feast their eyes on them? The sleep of a laborer is sweet, whether they eat little or much, but as for the rich, their abundance permits them no sleep. Wealth hoarded to the harm of its owners; or wealth lost through some misfortune, so that when they have children there is nothing left for them to inherit. Everyone comes naked from their mother's womb, and as everyone comes, so they depart. They take nothing from their toil that they can carry in their hands."

"Did you just quote Bible Verses?"

"My point is that I am not that type of person. I have no attraction to the idea of clue hunting."

"We need you." Dan reasoned. "You defended yourself easily from that guy. We get in danger all the time. We need all the help we can get."

"Helping I can do..." Jack looked toward Amy. "If everyone agrees."

Amy gave a tiny nod in response.

"But first I need to be well rested before I do anything." Jack stood up, stretching. "Spare blankets are in closet somewhere. Good Night."


End file.
